Web & Screen Guidelines
Basic Guidelines
The Cornell Web Logo--with or without Cornell Unit Signature--should be used on all screen presentations: web, PowerPoint (or similar electronic presentation applications), and television.
The Cornell Web Logo is a simplified version of the Cornell logo, adapted for use in electronic media. The Cornell Web Logo consists of the insignia and the logotype, which are treated as a single unit -- the insignia and logotype may not be separated.
The print version of the Cornell logo should not be used in electronic form or displayed on a screen (it will not reproduce well in those media). The Cornell Web Logo should not be used in print or on merchandise.
For more information, please see Web & Screen Misuse.
Basics about Color
The official colors for the web page banners and other screen applications are:
| Color | Swatch | Hex | R/G/B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red |  |
#b31b1b | 179/27/27 |
| Black |  |
#000000 | 0/0/0 |
| White |  |
#ffffff | 255/255/255 |
| Gray |  |
#68645b | 104/100/91 |
In the Cornell Web Logo, the insignia and logotype must always be the same color and on the same background. Five different color combinations are allowed:
- white on red
- red on white
- black on white
- white on black
- white on gray
To view samples of the banner colors, visit the Preview and Download section and make your color selections.
Cornell Web Page Banners
All web pages of Cornell University units (schools and colleges, departments, programs, courses, projects, events, clubs and organizations, administrative divisions, and other units) must include a Cornell Web Page Banner.
Web pages for programs operated jointly with non-Cornell partners, in which use of the Cornell Web Page Banner is not appropriate, may include the Cornell logo without the banner on the page, as long as the guidelines for its use are followed.
The banner should be used intact to span the top of web pages. The remainder of the web page may be used as you wish.
Four options of the web page banner are available (see How to Get the Cornell Web Banners):
- 75-pixel Banner with Cornell Web Logo
- 45-pixel Banner with Cornell Web Logo
- Banner with Two-Line Unit Signature
- Banner with Three-Line Unit Signature
75-pixel Banner with Cornell Web Logo
This version of the Cornell Web Page Banner contains the Cornell Web Logo, which must always link back to the Cornell University homepage and a search box that points to a university-wide search of web pages. There are two pre-coded radio buttons accompanying the box, which are labeled "Pages" and "People." A "More Options" text link should point to the main Cornell search page. The "Pages" button should be selected as the default.
Colors must be chosen from the options in the approved Cornell palette (see colors).
Semi-transparent, monochromatic photographic images may be used in the right-hand area of the banner, as long as a minimum clearance of 16 pixels is maintained on the right side of the Cornell Web Logo. In Photoshop, this image treatment can be achieved by setting an image layer to be 30 to 50 percent transparency in overlay mode. For an example of this effect, see the web page banner at www.cornell.edu.
No full-color photographs are allowed in the banner.
No text or other graphic elements are allowed in the banner.
The radio buttons and "More Options" link may not be renamed or pointed to other searches.
In the red, grey, and black banners the font size, style, and color for the More Options link are: Verdana, 11px and #FFFFFF.
In the white banner, the font size, style, and color for the More Options link are: Verdana, 11px and #B31B1B.
The colors for the backgrounds of the Search Boxes are as follows:
- Black: #4C4C4C
- Grey: #5E5A52
- Red: #990F0F
- White: #F3F3F3
Unit signatures are not used in this version of the 75-pixel banner. Unit name and unit navigation elements can appear below the banner.
45-pixel Banner with Cornell Web Logo
This version of the Cornell Web Page Banner contains the Cornell Web Logo, which must always link back to the Cornell University homepage, and the Search Cornell link, which is university wide. Unit signatures and unit navigation may not be used in this version of the banner.
Colors must be chosen from the options in the approved Cornell palette (see colors).
No text, photographs, or graphic elements are allowed in this version of the banner.
In the red, grey, and black banners the font size, style, and color for the Search Cornell link are: Verdana, 11px and #FFFFFF.
In the white banner, the font size, style, and color for the Search Cornell link are: Verdana, 11px and #B31B1B.
Banner with Two-Line Unit Signature
This version of the Cornell Web Page Banner contains the Cornell Web Logo, in which the insignia must link back to the Cornell University homepage, and a Cornell Unit Signature, which should link back to the homepage of the unit.
Signatures are unit names used in combination with the Cornell Web Logo. You can download the Cornell Unit Signatures for your unit. If you need a different signature, please contact us and we will provide one.
There are three options available for this banner:
Option One includes a search box that points to your unit search. There are two radio buttons associated with this search box. One is labeled "Unit" (where your unit name should be displayed) and can be coded to link to your unit search of web pages. The other is labeled "Cornell" and comes pre-coded to link to a university-wide search of web pages. A "More Options" text link (optional but not required) should point to your local page of search options. The "Unit" radio button should be selected as the default.
The "Cornell" radio button should not be renamed or pointed to other searches.
Option Two includes two text links. One is labeled "Search Cornell" and comes pre-coded to link to a university-wide search of web pages. The other is labeled "Search Unit" (where your unit name should be displayed) and can be coded to link to your unit search of web pages.
The "Search Cornell" link should not be renamed or pointed to other searches.
Option Three includes the generic "Search Cornell" box, as displayed in the 75 pixel Cornell only banner. This should only be used in cases where units do not have personalized searches.
Colors must be chosen from the options in the approved Cornell palette (see colors).
In the red, grey, and black banners the font size, style, and color for these links are: Verdana, 11px and #FFFFFF.
In the white banner, the font size, style, and color for these links are: Verdana, 11px and #B31B1B.
The colors for the backgrounds of the Search Boxes are as follows:
- Black: #4C4C4C
- Grey: #5E5A52
- Red: #990F0F
- White: #F3F3F3
Semi-transparent, monochromatic photographic images may be used in the right-hand area of the banner, as long as a minimum clearance of 16 pixels is maintained on the right side of the Cornell Web Logo. In Photoshop, this image treatment can be achieved by setting an image layer to be 30 to 50 percent transparency in overlay mode. For an example of this effect, see the web page banner at www.cornell.edu.
No full-color photographs are allowed in the banner.
No text or other graphic elements are allowed in the banner.
Banner with Three-Line Unit Signature
The three-line unit signatures are taller than the two-line versions. Because of this, the banner must be larger as well (88 pixels).
This version of the Cornell Web Page Banner contains the Cornell Web Logo, in which the insignia must link back to the Cornell University homepage, and a Cornell Unit Signature, which should link back to the homepage of the unit.
Signatures are unit names used in combination with the Cornell Web Logo. You can download the Cornell Unit Signatures for your unit. If you need a different signature, please contact us and we will provide one.
There are three options available for this banner:
Option One includes a search box that points to your unit search. There are two radio buttons associated with this search box. One is labeled "Unit" (where your unit name should be displayed) and can be coded to link to your unit search of web pages. The other is labeled "Cornell" and comes pre-coded to link to a university-wide search of web pages. A "More Options" text link (optional but not required) should point to your local page of search options. The "Unit" radio button should be selected as the default.
The "Cornell" radio button should not be renamed or pointed to other searches.
Option Two includes two text links. One is labeled "Search Unit" (where your unit name should be displayed) and can be coded to link to your unit search of web pages. The other is labeled "Search Cornell" and comes pre-coded to link to a university-wide search of web pages.
Option Three includes the generic "Search Cornell" box, as displayed in the 75 pixel Cornell only banner. This should only be used in cases where units do not have personalized searches.
Colors must be chosen from the options in the approved Cornell palette (see colors).
In the red, grey, and black banners the font size, style, and color for these links are: Verdana, 11px and #FFFFFF.
In the white banner, the font size, style, and color for these links are: Verdana, 11px and #B31B1B.
The colors for the backgrounds of the Search Boxes are as follows:
- Black: #4C4C4C
- Grey: #5E5A52
- Red: #990F0F
- White: #F3F3F3
The "Search Cornell" link should not be renamed or pointed to other searches.
Semi-transparent, monochromatic photographic images may be used in the right-hand area of the banner, as long as a minimum clearance of 16 pixels is maintained on the right side of the Cornell Web Logo. In Photoshop, this image treatment can be achieved by setting an image layer to be 30 to 50 percent transparency in overlay mode. For an example of this effect, see the web page banner at www.cornell.edu.
No full-color photographs are allowed in the banner.
No text or other graphic elements are allowed in the banner.
Web Site Accessibility
Standards for electronic communication -- based on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Americans with Disabilities Act -- recommend that web sites present content in ways that make it easy for all members of society to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the information.
Cornell University is developing a policy on Web Accessibility. Taking this into consideration, an Accessibility Strip has been provided along with the banner packages.
The Accessibility Strip contains a visible link that, when selected, skips over navigation and brings the user directly to the main content on the page. The Accessibility Strip allows a web page to accommodate adaptive and assistive technologies (such as use of the tab key to scan through structural elements on a web page, instead of a mouse to directly select a link, screen readers that interpret what is displayed on a screen and direct it to speech synthesis for audio or Braille output, and magnifiers that magnify a portion of the screen for easier viewing).
The Accessibility Strip is designed to be positioned at the very top of the web page, above the Cornell Web Page Banner. The strip is available in two sizes -- one for use with the 75-pixel Web Page Banner, the Banner with Two-Line Unit Signature, or the Banner with Three-Line Unit Signature; and the other for use with the 45-pixel Web Page Banner.
By default, the Accessibility Strip is turned off. Use of the strip is entirely optional and has no bearing on compliance with the Visual Identity Guidelines.
Some units may choose to include an invisible link instead of a visible one. An invisible link does not provide accessibility to those people using magnifiers.
If the Accessibility Strip is used, it must be used as provided in the banner packages.
The strip color (white), type font, type size, and type color must be used as provided.
The font size, style, and color for this link are: Verdana, 11px and #B31B1B.
Further Information
Because limitations of sensory, physical, or cognitive functioning can affect access to web-based information, guidelines have been developed to provide equal access for those with a disability (for example, a vision, hearing, mobility, or neurology impairment, or even a limitation of technology).
Although ADA and W3C compliance currently is not mandated for university web sites, many units at Cornell may want to maximize the accessibility of their sites. Those units should include the Accessibility Strip on their web pages.
Vendor Applications
In those cases in which a commercial application package is being used on a unit's web page -- and inclusion of the Cornell Web Page Banner is not physically possible in the space allotted by the commercial vendor for "personalization" of the application package -- then the Cornell logo with unit signature should be included in whatever space is allotted.
Minimum clearances for the logo must be observed.
Minimum Clearances
The minimum clearances are based on the diameter of the insignia.
45-pixel Banner clearances
| Reference | Side | Minimum Clearance |
|---|---|---|
| A | top | 4 pixels |
| B | Bottom | 4 pixels |
| C | Left | 4 pixels |
| D | Right | 8 pixels |
75-pixel Banner clearances
| Reference | Side | Minimum Clearance |
|---|---|---|
| A | top | 8 pixels |
| B | Bottom | 8 pixels |
| C | Left | 8 pixels |
| D | Right | 16 pixels |
88-pixel Banner clearances
| Reference | Side | Minimum Clearance |
|---|---|---|
| A | top | 9 pixels |
| B | Bottom | 9 pixels |
| C | Left | 9 pixels |
| D | Right | 18 pixels |
Please note that the minimum clearance will increase as the size of the insignia increases.
If a part of the logo needs to be visually aligned with the edge of another element then the corresponding pixels may be removed from the graphic to allow for alignment as long as the appropriate clearances are maintained. An example of this would be aligning the left edge of the insignia with the left edge of the page content.